Bloomberg News (3/12, Harris) reported, "A US appeals court in Atlanta put on an expedited schedule the federal government’s appeal of a judge’s decision throwing out the Obama administration’s health-care law. The court…granted a US Justice Department request to speed consideration of the administration’s bid to reverse US District Judge C. Roger Vinson’s Jan. 31 ruling in the lawsuit, which was brought by 26 states." Vinson "decided that a provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requiring almost every American to have some form of medical insurance starting in 2014 was unconstitutional."

According to the AP (3/12, Davenport), "The decision means the federal government must file its first set of court papers on the issues in the case by April 4, and the state of Florida has until May 4 to file its papers. The federal government would file additional papers by May 18."

The Miami Herald (3/12) reported that on Friday, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi "asked for an expedited, full-court appeal hearing in the state’s lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the federal healthcare reform law. ‘This case is so significant to all Americans that it needs to be resolved as quickly as possible,’ Bondi said." Reuters (3/12) also covered the story.

More Commentary. In his Washington Post (3/12) column, George Will wrote that the argument supporting Congress’ constitutional power to compel individuals to buy health insurance "may rest on a non sequitur and a semantic fiat." Judge Gladys Kessler’s recent ruling "argues that the insurance mandate must be constitutional because Obamacare would collapse without it. A forthcoming law review article agrees with this and with the judge’s idea that, regarding commerce, being inactive is an activity." Will agreed that the mandate is essential to Obamacare, but did not view that as deciding whether it’s lawful.